/vr/ - Retro Games

>>8173696
This. It pains me that some fans don't treat it this same way or aren't also fans of folklore. I wouldn't even call myself a dedicated Zelda fan, I enjoy most of the games, but it seems odd to try and make it out to be more than it is. Folklore is fun when it feels like it can exist in a variety of ways with a lot of different interpretations.

>>4652221
As other posters have pointed out, this sounds like a modern perspective confusing artistic choices with tech limitations in older games. I think the best evidence towards this is that the writer used in-game sprites instead of concept art or box art (which as someone posted here, contradicts the writers claims).
Younger gamers miss the broader experience that was had with older games: the box, the manual, the arcade cab, etc. And they don't even realize this. They see older games and compare them to how modern games operate: self-contained products that at this point don't even need a physical format. Box art/promo art often looks identical to the game itself, manuals have been replaced by in-game tutorials. So they get this corrupted sense that pixel art is the defining style of retro games (rather than a part), or that a game is "bad" if it fails to explicitly lay out everything for you in-game (rather than explain it in the manual).
I'm not even saying this as a lamenting old man, I think things are much better now in many ways. If anything, I dislike how "pixel art" has this rebirth of interest, but a lot of game artwork that's just as unique and era-defining is less recognized, and this "GCLM" essay reflects that.

>>2498790
I dislike the gameplay of the 3D Zeldas for introducing a ponderous amount of unintuitive movement of both Link and the camera, but for me OoT represents a worse change for the series, one that has affected all titles since: an overwhelming amount of narration.

Zelda games are clearly games that don't need much in the way of narration. You don't need to be constantly guided around. You don't need, nor necessarily want, repeated and exhaustive explanations of game mechanics and plot points. The series thrives when certain things are left to mystery. It's nice to be given hints, but I'd really rather not hear again about Ganon's backstory nor the goddesses nor that I can use bombs to make things explode.

Moreover, I dislike the move toward the manga/"serious" aesthetic. This is a far more subjective criticism. I would like to see the series look more like ALttP or Wind Waker. Cartoony, but with an element of grit and darkness.

Now, if a Zelda game came along that looked like Katsuya Terada's illustrations, I would simply adore that. His work just has this perfect balance of ruination and heroism, utilizing beautifully muted tones with exciting saturated splashes. It can't be called too Eastern nor too Western. It's just authentic and visceral and yet fantastic.